Sandy Ruined a Lot But Will Ultimately Make Prospect Park Better

Three years ago today, Sandy surged inland, wreaking unprecedented damage throughout the city. Most notably in Brooklyn, Red Hook took an especially hard hit.But further inland, Prospect Park also lost hundreds of trees. Soon, DNAinfo reports, a $488,000 grant awarded this past August by National Parks Service will help with additional repairs to the park, including planting many new trees.

Though many trees have been replaced already, according to Christian Zimmerman, vice president for capital and landscape management at the Prospect Park Alliance, there’s still plenty of restorative work to be done.

Some of the park’s post-Sandy restoration has included the addition of a play area for children, the Donald and Barbara Zucker Natural Exploration Area, which was created in part from trees damaged by the storm, as well as repairs to the Vale of Cashmere, where a marble fountain sustained serious damage.

On a broader scale, Zimmerman said Sandy has already fundamentally changed the way park planners are approaching future design, re-examining flood reduction features and park resilience.

And if that still falls short? The park’s general practitioner, Dr. Playground, is always on call.